5 Strategies for Generating Quality Referrals

Any business owner knows, leads are the lifeblood of your business. After all, while some clients are repeat buyers, others may only buy your product once or use your service for a limited time. But both current and previous customers can still help boost sales — by providing referrals.

A high-quality referral can be pure gold. Referrals offer “social proof" that you are, in fact, everything you say you are. But many entrepreneurs hesitate to ask for referrals, fearing that it might make them look pushy. The good news is that most satisfied clients are more than happy to pass on a good word. Here are five simple but effective ways to seek referrals.

1. Catch them at the right time.

And when's that? Directly after you have just wrapped up a successful project or delivered a solution to a thorny problem. Not only is the customer still basking in the glow of a job well done, but the details of your service will be fresh in their mind. That's the time to ask them if they know of anyone else who might benefit from your service, and if they would help make the introduction.

2. Ask for a “triangle" referral.

When you ask a customer for a referral, they may just pass along the name and contact info of someone they think may need your product or service. While this is helpful, there's a much more effective approach: the "triangle" referral. With this method, your satisfied customer sends an email directly to the person they're referring to you and copies you on the email. So, for example, your customer's email could say something like “Hi, Sophie. I know you'd mentioned you were potentially looking for a new graphic designer. I just completed a project with Brent and was really pleased with his work. I wanted to put the two of you in touch." While you can't specifically write that perfect email for your customer, you can indicate to them that connecting the two of you would be ideal, providing a “warmer" introduction than you contacting the referral cold.